


If I only could make a deal with God

by VileVenom



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Carlos is Inhuman, Eldritch Abomination Cecil, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-22
Updated: 2013-09-22
Packaged: 2017-12-27 08:27:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/976628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VileVenom/pseuds/VileVenom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An angel once loved an Eldritch Abomination, and was struck down for his efforts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If I only could make a deal with God

**Author's Note:**

> Title from 'Running Up that Hill' originally by Kate Bush.
> 
> I wrote this on my phone, so please let me know of any errors or weird word placements.
> 
>  **Edit** : fixed as many typos and word replacements as I could find.

Carlos is merely 3 when he first realizes something is missing from his life. Something big, something important.  
When he is six, he tells his Mama he misses his Ceecee, and she chalks it up to a childish imaginary friend who has vanished.  
When Carlos turns 11, he begins to fein illness to avoid going to church, which has begun to give him headaches and make his stomach roll uncomfortably.  
When he is sixteen, he simply refuses to go anymore all together, stating that he needs to focus on his school work.  
On Carlos’ 19th birthday, he declares his intentions to travel the world to his parents. He accepts a scholarship to University instead, and the ache in his chest that he had grown used to ignoring pains him miserably for months.

When Carlos is nearly 40, and he’d given up ever filling that insufferable hole where his heart should have been, he arrives in Night Vale, and he feels like he’s gone home.

The first time Carlos sees Cecil, his heart skips a beat, but years of failed relationships and abusive ex boyfriends keeps him from speaking to the radio host at length.  
Slowly, so very slowly, Carlos allows Cecil into his life, and the hole in his heart feels like it’s finally filling up.

Then he nearly dies under a bowling alley. The words of the Apache Tracker and Teddy Williams float around his head like annoying insects, while flashes of a life long past zip through his head unbidden.  
Carlos startles awake with the phantom feeling of wings on his shoulder blades and the need to see Cecil as soon as he can.

By their fourth or fifth date (Carlos has trouble keeping track sometimes), Carlos has dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep, and can only bring himself to eat with Cecil’s gentle prodding.

"What’s wrong?" Cecil asks him every time they meet, only to be answered by a shake of Carlos’ head, and a swift change of topic. There is really no good way to tell your boyfriend you keep having dreams about him turning into a creature of the void and it keeps you up at night with feelings that should have been fear, but are the farthest from it.

Finally, after nearly four months, Cecil snaps, and demands to know if Carlos even really wanted to date him, or if all of what they had was just some sort of experiment to the scientist.  
Carlos kisses away Cecil’s worry and takes him to bed, and sleeps fitfully for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

Carlos wakes a month later with a scream, unintentionally shoving Cecil right out of the bed in the process.

"Carlos?" Cecil asks groggily from his spot on the floor, peeking blearily over the edge of the mattress at the panting scientist.

"What are you?" Carlos breathes, finally unable to ignore the signs from over all the time they’d spent together, combined with the dreams that have come back again full force.

"What are you talking about?" Cecil hums, slowly crawling back up onto the bed to settle next to Carlos. He only looks a little hurt when Carlos flinches away from his embrace.

"Your eyes change colour when you think no one is looking," Carlos whispers, bringing his knees up to his chest, "And sometimes you move in ways that no one should be able to move, no matter how flexible. You report on things as they happen, when I know you don’t have any interns out and around the city reporting back to you. And you talk about things in this town no one else survives when they talk, or even think about. And these dreams! Cecil, it took me so long to realize, but I have been having dreams about you since before I can even remember! My imaginary friend when I was four was named Cecil. I can’t…what are you?"

"You have dreams about me?" Cecil coos, focusing entirely on the wrong thing, before shaking his head and slumping his shoulders. "Sorry. Uh, well. I honestly don’t know what to tell you," he murmurs, twining his fingers together in his lap nervously. "About the-the dreams and all that. B-but, I suppose you deserve to know that this isn’t my true form. I just, it’s easier for people to digest. I’m rather, ah, inexplicable when I want to be. Which isn’t often. It’s hard to come back to this form when I shift. It’s sort of like teaching a bird how to fly, then clipping its wings."

Carlos wants to ask Cecil to show him, but he knows that’s too much. If it’ll ever be anything but too much. “Why can’t I get you out of my head?” he whimpers instead, and allows Cecil to wrap him up in a hug.

It takes a while, but Carlos finally gets the answers he’s wanted for so long in the form of an Erika, wandering the streets without Old Woman Josie. It towers so tall above him, and he wants to avert his gaze, like he always does. Like the Sheriff’s Secret Police demand if him.  
But he can’t. He stares openly up at the several eyes blinking back down at him. Then, the angel moves.  
It reaches down with one of its massive hands, and places a single finger to Carlos’ head. Cecil departs from the radio station just in time to see Carlos scream and fall to the ground, just as Erika vanishes in a cloud of glowing smoke.

"Carlos!" Cecil cries, rushing forward to scoop Carlos up into his arms, carefully placing the scientists head across his lap, tears trickling down his cheeks. "Wake up! Oh, Carlos, please wake up."

Carlos does not wake up. Not for a week.  
When his eyes finally flutter open, it is to the sight of Cecil curled over the edge of the bed, snoring across the blankets with his hand tangled with Carlos’ own.

"I know you," Carlos murmurs, squeezing Cecil’s hand to wake the slumbering radio host.

"Huh?" Cecil grumbles so very eloquently, before sitting up in a rush when he realizes that Carlos is awake.

"I know you," Carlos repeats, much to Cecil’s confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Cecil wonders, cupping Carlos’ cheek with a soft smile. "Of course you know me."

Carlos shakes his head, chuckling quietly. “No. Not this you. The real you. My lovely Eldritch. I’m sorry I took so long to remember. You were probably so worried for me.”

"What?" Cecil furrows his brow, squeezing Carlos’ hand. "I-I don’t…Carlos?"

"Yes," Carlos nods. "I’m still me, don’t worry. I just remember better now, is all. I know you know what I know, Cecil." Carlos’ eyes shine with mirth. "You were drawn to me the moment I stepped into this town. Don’t try to deny it now."

"Yes, but…Oh, Carlos, please don’t think I only wanted to be with you because I had hoped you would change! I do love you, always! You are my perfect scientist! I just, you felt so familiar, and you looked just the same."

"Hush," Carlos coos, petting the tears away from Cecil’s cheek. "I’ve never doubted you, Cecil."

"I thought you died," Cecil hiccups quietly, tipping forward to bury his face in Carlos’ chest.

"I did," Carlos shrugs, petting Cecil’s hair. "But you know me. Curiosity killed the cat and all that. I could never stay away from things that aren’t good for me."

Cecil chuckles wetly, tipping his head to press a light kiss to Carlos’ collar bone. “And I was never good for you.”

"You are," Carlos hums, grinning lopsidedly, "Now, at least. Erika saw me struggling, an decided that we’d both been punished enough. Like this, as we are, we can finally just be."

"I missed you," Cecil murmurs, curling his arms tight around Carlos’ waist.

"And I you," Carlos agrees, twirling his fingers through Cecil’s hair. "Though, I will admit, these forms are much easier to navigate."

"It’s also nice that you have your own name, so I don’t have five different Erika’s staring at me when I call for you."

Carlos snickers as he tucks Cecil’s head below his chin, snuggling down for a well deserved rest.


End file.
